ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Ladder-walking locusts use vision to climb, show big brains aren't always best
• Microbes help mothers protect kids from allergies
• As the world churns: Earth's liquid outer core is slowly 'stirred' in a series of decades-long waves
• Miss whiplash with locking headrest, study suggests
• Protein that keeps stem cells poised for action identified
• Of girls and geeks: Environment may be why women don't like computer science
• Neuroscientists store information in isolated brain tissue; possible basis of short-term memory
• 'Self-seeding' of cancer cells may play a critical role in tumor progression
• Genetic predeterminants for diabetes in African-Americans identified
• A mechanical model of vocalization
• Whiteflies sabotage alarm system of plant in distress
• Seeing family for the holidays? Scientists discover how the stress might kill you
• Giant planet set for cataclysmic show
• New agent for some drug-resistant non-small cell lung cancers
• Some birds listen, instead of look, for mates
• Five exercises can reduce neck, shoulder pain of women office workers
• Scientists argue for a new type of climate target
• Aviation-based team training may influence clinicians' safety behaviors
• Women tend to have better sense of touch due to smaller finger size
• High-blood-pressure treatment for the over-80s too aggressive, warns expert
• Spider Mite Predators Serve As Biological Control
• Drug for Alzheimer's disease does not appear to slow cognitive decline
• How can evolutionary responses to climate change be measured?
• Physician-assisted suicide: A perspective from advocates for people with disability
• Orchids' sexual trickery explained: Leads to more efficient pollinating system
• Modifying Neural Stem Cells Improves Their Therapeutic Efficacy
• Phragmites partners with microbes to plot native plants' demise
• Antibiotic unsuccessful in preventing preterm labor
• Wet Ethanol Production Process Yields More Ethanol And More Co-products
• How Differing Asian Cultures And Attitudes Impact Cancer Screening Rates

Ladder-walking locusts use vision to climb, show big brains aren't always best Posted: 28 Dec 2009 11:00 AM PST Scientists have shown for the first time that insects, like mammals, use vision rather than touch to find footholds. They made the discovery thanks to high-speed video cameras that they used to film desert locusts stepping along the rungs of a miniature ladder. The study sheds new light on insects' ability to perform complex tasks, such as visually guided limb control, usually associated with mammals.

Microbes help mothers protect kids from allergies Posted: 28 Dec 2009 11:00 AM PST A pregnant woman's exposure to microbes may protect her child from developing allergies later in life. Researchers in Germany find that exposure to environmental bacteria triggers a mild inflammatory response in pregnant mice that renders their offspring resistant to allergies.

As the world churns: Earth's liquid outer core is slowly 'stirred' in a series of decades-long waves Posted: 28 Dec 2009 11:00 AM PST A new study confirms theories that Earth's liquid outer core is slowly "stirred" in a series of regularly occurring waves of motion that last for decades. Measurements of Earth's magnetic field from observatory stations on land and ships at sea were combined with satellite data to determine common patterns of movement within Earth's core. The findings give scientists new insights into Earth's internal structure, the mechanisms that generate its magnetic field, and its geology.

Miss whiplash with locking headrest, study suggests Posted: 28 Dec 2009 11:00 AM PST Whiplash neck injuries among drivers and their passengers who have been shunted from behind are a major cause of long-term health problems and, in extreme cases, death. A new type of vehicle headrest promises to improve both safety and comfort.

Protein that keeps stem cells poised for action identified Posted: 28 Dec 2009 11:00 AM PST Researchers have now identified a critical component, called Jarid2, of this delicate balancing act -- one that both recruits other regulatory proteins to genes important in differentiation and also modulates their activity to keep them in a state of ongoing readiness.

Of girls and geeks: Environment may be why women don't like computer science Posted: 28 Dec 2009 11:00 AM PST In real estate, it's location, location, location. And when it comes to why girls and women shy away from careers in computer science, a key reason is environment, environment, environment.

Neuroscientists store information in isolated brain tissue; possible basis of short-term memory Posted: 28 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST For the first time, neuroscientists have created stimulus-specific sustained activity patterns in brain circuits maintained in vitro.

'Self-seeding' of cancer cells may play a critical role in tumor progression Posted: 28 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Cancer progression is commonly thought of as a process involving the growth of a primary tumor followed by metastasis, in which cancer cells leave the primary tumor and spread to distant organs. A new study shows that circulating tumor cells -- cancer cells that break away from a primary tumor and disseminate to other areas of the body -- can also return to and grow in their tumor of origin, a newly discovered process called "self-seeding."

Genetic predeterminants for diabetes in African-Americans identified Posted: 28 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Researchers say a recent discovery suggests that inherited genetic variations exist between whites and blacks living in the US, leading to less efficient metabolism of glucose and predisposition to diabetes in blacks.

A mechanical model of vocalization Posted: 28 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST When people speak, sing or shout, they produce sound by pushing air over their vocal folds -- bits of muscle and tissue that manipulate the air flow and vibrate within it. When someone has polyps or some other problem with their vocal folds, the airflow can be altered, affecting the sound production.

Whiteflies sabotage alarm system of plant in distress Posted: 28 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST When spider mites attack a bean plant, the plant produces odors attracting predatory mites. These mites then exterminate the spider mite population, thus acting as a type of "bodyguard" for the plant. However, if the plant is simultaneously attacked by whiteflies, insects that are related to aphids, the plant becomes less attractive to the mites and therefore more vulnerable to spider mites, say entomologists.

Seeing family for the holidays? Scientists discover how the stress might kill you Posted: 28 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST If you ever thought the stress of seeing your extended family over the holidays was slowly killing you -- bad news: a new study shows that you might be right. Here's the good news: results from the same study might lead to entirely new treatments that help keep autoimmune diseases like lupus, arthritis, and eczema under control.

Giant planet set for cataclysmic show Posted: 28 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST A team of Chinese astronomers has discovered a giant planet close to the exotic binary star system QS Virginis. Although dormant now, in the future the two stars will one day erupt in a violent nova outburst.

New agent for some drug-resistant non-small cell lung cancers Posted: 28 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST Scientists have discovered a compound capable of halting a common type of drug-resistant lung cancer. The researchers report that non-small cell lung cancers that had become invulnerable to the drugs Iressa and Tarceva were stymied by a new compound. The compound (WZ4002), whose basic chemical framework is different from that of other cancer drugs, acts against an epidermal growth factor receptor kinase that carries a specific structural defect.

Some birds listen, instead of look, for mates Posted: 28 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST Looks can be deceiving, but certain bird species have figured out that a voice can tell them most of what they need to know to find the right mate. Researchers found that the higher the pitch of a male bird's song, the more genetic diversity that bird has, making him a better mate for breeding.

Five exercises can reduce neck, shoulder pain of women office workers Posted: 28 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST Strength training exercises using dumbbells can reduce pain and improve function in the trapezius muscle among women suffering trapezius myalgia, a tenderness and tightness in the upper trapezius muscle. The results are the latest findings from an ongoing Danish study aimed at reducing repetitive strain injury caused by office work.

Scientists argue for a new type of climate target Posted: 28 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST In order to avoid dangerous consequences for the earth's ecosystems, global emissions must peak around 2015, and they need to be cut by half between the peak and 2030, according to new findings.

Aviation-based team training may influence clinicians' safety behaviors Posted: 28 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST Team training based on protocols originally developed for aviation crews may change safety-related behaviors and contribute to perceptions of empowerment among nurses and other surgical staff, according to a new study.

Women tend to have better sense of touch due to smaller finger size Posted: 28 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST People who have smaller fingers have a finer sense of touch, according to new research. This finding explains why women tend to have better tactile acuity than men, because women on average have smaller fingers.

High-blood-pressure treatment for the over-80s too aggressive, warns expert Posted: 28 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST People over 80 years are being treated too aggressively for high blood pressure, warns an expert.

Spider Mite Predators Serve As Biological Control Posted: 28 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST The control of spider mites, which damage tree leaves, reduce fruit quality and cost growers millions of dollars in the use of pesticide and oil spraying, is being biologically controlled in Pennsylvania apple orchards with two tiny insects known to be natural predators.

Drug for Alzheimer's disease does not appear to slow cognitive decline Posted: 28 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST Although there were promising results in a phase 2 trial, patients with mild Alzheimer disease who received the drug tarenflurbil as part of a phase 3 trial did not have better outcomes on measures of cognitive decline or loss of activities of daily living compared to patients who received placebo, according to a new study.

How can evolutionary responses to climate change be measured? Posted: 28 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST As global temperatures continue to rise, scientists are presented with the complex challenge of understanding how species respond and adapt.

Physician-assisted suicide: A perspective from advocates for people with disability Posted: 28 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST Although public opinion in the US on physician-assisted suicide is evenly divided, about half of states have either defeated bills to legalize assisted suicide or have passed laws explicitly banning it and only two states have legalized it. "A Disability Perspective on the Issue of Physician-Assisted Suicide," a special issue of Disability and Health Journal, examines the issues related to assisted suicide and disability, the legal considerations and the Oregon and Washington experiences.

Orchids' sexual trickery explained: Leads to more efficient pollinating system Posted: 27 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST A new study reveals the reason why orchids use sexual trickery to lure insect pollinators. The study finds that sexual deception in orchids leads to a more efficient pollinating system.

Modifying Neural Stem Cells Improves Their Therapeutic Efficacy Posted: 27 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST Stem cells isolated from the brain of adult mice (adult neural stem cells [aNSCs]) have shown very modest therapeutic effects in a mouse model of the chronic inflammatory neurodegenerative disease multiple sclerosis. But now, researchers have developed an approach to enhance the therapeutic effects of aNSCs in this model of multiple sclerosis, something that they hope might increase the chance that aNSC-based therapies might one day be developed for clinical use.

Phragmites partners with microbes to plot native plants' demise Posted: 27 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST Researchers have uncovered a novel means of conquest employed by the common reed, Phragmites australis, which ranks as one of the world's most invasive plants.

Antibiotic unsuccessful in preventing preterm labor Posted: 27 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST Scientists have found that an antibiotic, currently used to treat infections linked to incidences of premature births, does not help reduce the risk of preterm labor.

Wet Ethanol Production Process Yields More Ethanol And More Co-products Posted: 27 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST Using a wet ethanol production method that begins by soaking corn kernels rather than grinding them, results in more gallons of ethanol and more usable co-products, giving ethanol producers a bigger bang for their buck -- by about 20 percent.

How Differing Asian Cultures And Attitudes Impact Cancer Screening Rates Posted: 27 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST Asian-Americans have higher instances of certain types of cancer, yet screening rates remain dismal. A new study calls for culturally sensitive materials to stress the importance of early screening, to help close the disparity.

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